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20
821994/9/913
[This telegram is of particular secrecy and should be retained
by the authorised recipient and not passed on].
Cypher/OTP
DIPLOMATIC DISTRIBUTION
FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Sir R.Stevenson,
No. 1062
19th July,1949.
Repeated to Hong Kong,
Singapore,
Embassy Canton.
19th July, 1949.
D. 9.14 a.m.
R. 11.03 a.m. 19th July, 1949.
SECRET
Addressed to Foreign Office No. 1062 of July 19th, repeated for information to Hong Kong, Singapore and Embassy Canton.
Hong Kong telegram No. 701 to Colonial Secretary. N.T
Chinese Communist films in Hong Kong.
Problem seems to me to depend a good deal upon means by which films are brought into or exhibited in Hong Kong.
2. If importers, distributors or exhibitors are organisations or individuals such as Chiao Mu acting or claiming to act as official or unofficial representatives of Chinese Communist Party it might be possible with adequate justification to put an end to these operations on the grounds of the absence of any diplomatic relationship between His Majesty's Government and Communist Administration in China in retaliation to orders given by local Communist authorities to Shanghai representative of Information Branch of His Majesty's Embassy on July 16th to close down his organisation there on that very pretext.
3. If, however, as seems more likely these films come in through normal commercial channels the position is obviously more delicate. My view is that any comprehensive ban on Chinese Communist films as such would have unfortunate political repercussions and thus defeat its own object. One of our principal charges against the Communist systems being their denial of freedoms of publication it would seem to be a mistake to expose ourselves to effective counter charges for similar prohibitions. It would seem to me that [gps.undec.? while maintaing our] principles of liberality in these matters we should remain in a position to exercise reasonable control through discreet exercise of normal consorship. If these films are imported through commercial channels it might be reasonable
to hope/...